Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Wenyuan, his sister-in-law, was supposed to marry him, but things were ruined halfway through; but Liu Hongchang knew perfectly well that only Yang Maixiang truly cared for him. As for He Wenhui? He was better off cutting ties with her as soon as possible than enduring the hardship.

The original owner was largely to blame for the downfall of the He family—if he hadn't been so dull, stubborn, and timid, no matter how poor they were, they wouldn't have collapsed so miserably.

The eldest brother, Liu Yunchang, and his wife, Wu Xiaoying, had never had children. In the original story, the original owner had publicly promised to "give birth to a child after the start of summer so they can take care of it," but then went back on her word at the last minute. Liu Hongchang scoffed: "I'll handle this. I can just take the child over after it's born, and I can visit it often. Besides, family planning is about to be implemented. If I send two over, I can have two more myself. It's a win-win situation. Only a fool would renege on their promise."

His sister-in-law may be beautiful, but they're destined to be just strangers—he'll wave goodbye and leave without a trace; he won't get involved in anything thankless or difficult.

As he passed the kitchen mirror, he glanced at the inside of his wrist—wait, there was a faint blue line of text floating there: [Space Activated]. A thought struck him, and sure enough, he saw his ration coupons—food coupons, cloth coupons, meat coupons—accumulated in his previous life, neatly stacked in the air, like rows of veterans waiting for orders. No wonder the system said "play it safe"—in this life, he'd won big.

He was so skilled at working in a state-run restaurant that he could flip a wok with his eyes closed. For Zhang Fei, eating bean sprouts was a piece of cake.

He strolled leisurely into the kitchen, glancing up at the calendar on the wall: September 1979. Good, just two more years, and I'll be set for a sure win.

He put on a faded blue apron, rolled up his sleeves, and began chopping minced meat, preparing sauce, and arranging ingredients in the steamer.

Just after 2 p.m., two young faces peeked into the kitchen.

"Brother Hongchang! Brother Hongchang!" Nana waved on tiptoe, "This is my classmate He Wenhui, the only one in the whole county to get into university this year!"

Liu Hongchang wiped his hands: "You've really made something of yourself!"

He Wenhui pursed her lips, her voice soft but clear: "Master Liu, my mother urgently needs money for medical treatment at home, and I can't afford a big feast... so I just wanted to treat everyone to a simple meal as a token of my appreciation."

Liu Hongchang asked, "How many people?"

Nana answered quickly: "About ten classmates."

"What's your budget?"

He Wenhui silently took out a roll of banknotes from her cloth bag, counted out twenty yuan, and handed it over with both hands.

Liu Hongchang accepted the call and nodded: "Come on, the day after tomorrow at noon."

He Wenhui's eyes lit up, and she reached out to shake hands and express her gratitude.

Liu Hongchang stepped aside to avoid him, raising his flour-covered hand: "I just kneaded the dough, it's dirty."

—If he were to hold her hand, the original owner would immediately swoon. He Wenhui is beautiful, but he doesn't want to get involved in this mess. He remembers in the original story, a classmate offered to pay for her out of a difficult situation, but the original owner refused, turning that kindness into resentment. Fine, this twenty yuan is my way of buying out the past for the original owner; from now on, we'll go our separate ways.

The second canteen closed early, and Liu Hongchang strolled home with his lunchbox. Just as he turned into the alley, Wang Cuilan was already leaning against the gate, holding two brand-new movie tickets in her hand. She waved them at him: "Look, the girl is waiting for you on the bench in the cultural square!"

Liu Hongchang: "Mom, I understand." Before he finished speaking, he had already carefully placed the food box into Wang Cuilan's hands and turned to stride towards the cultural center.

As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw Yang Maixiang standing under the shade of the sycamore tree—her floral dress swayed gently in the wind, her reading glasses perched on her nose, and two black ponytails hanging down her shoulders like two lively rays of spring sunshine.

Liu Hongchang grinned: "Wow, you've become so much more radiant these past few days!"

Yang Maixiang raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Your mouth has become more roundabout than before."

Liu Hongchang scratched the back of his head: "Just keeping up with the times! Now you have to scan a QR code and use facial recognition to take the bus, so my way of greeting people has to be upgraded, right?"

Yang Maixiang chuckled: "So you're still stuck in the second canteen?"

Liu Hongchang straightened his back: "Endure? I worked hard, standing ramrod straight by the stove, wielding the spatula with incredible skill!"

Yang Maixiang's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Let's go see a movie!"

Liu Hongchang, however, wagged his finger: "Let's take a detour first—how about the supply and marketing cooperative?"

"What are you going there for?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Buying sunflower seeds and peanuts!" he laughed candidly. "Have a couple after the event, they're delicious."

Yang Maixiang deliberately dragged out her words: "Oh, so you understand girls' hearts so well now?"

Liu Hongchang shrugged: "That depends on who you're talking to—in front of others, I'm as neat and proper as a block of tofu."

"How annoying!" Her ears burned, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

Without a word, he picked up a bag of roasted melon seeds and a bag of salted peanuts, and led her to the movie theater. The screen went dark and then lit up again, and the two strolled out of the theater side by side, their steps unhurried, and walked all the way to the park, where they sat side by side on a small stone bench with slightly damp moss.

Liu Hongchang turned his head to the side: "You knew what was going on when you asked me to come out today, didn't you?"

Yang Maixiang lowered her head and twisted the hem of her skirt: "It's just a blind date..." Her voice was as soft as a whisper.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

"Hmm...it's alright." Her eyelashes fluttered, and her fingertips were slightly warm.

He suddenly became serious: "I think you're great, really great."

When he escorted her home, the moonlight had already bathed the brick path. He watched her figure disappear behind the courtyard gate before turning back to his own yard.

Wang Cuilan was already waiting at the entrance of the main room: "How did it go?"

"That's good," he answered readily.

"What did that girl say?"

She said...it's alright.

Wang Cuilan smiled and turned to go into the kitchen. With a loud bang, oil splattered everywhere—she was going to fry two eggs for her son to help him recover. After his eldest son got married and moved out, Liu Hongchang still lived with his mother in the old courtyard. Separated by only a wall, their hearts were connected by the warmth of family life.

After dinner, he sat alone under the lamp and quietly peeked into the room: a few stacks of loose change, a few grain coupons, half a roll of cloth coupons... quite ordinary. Only a clear glass bottle stood quietly in the corner, inside which lay a single pill. His fingertip hovered over the bottle, and his heart sank—this must be the life-saving medicine for Wenhui's mother. He would find a suitable opportunity to personally hand it to her when she returned from the other province.

Over there, Yu Qiuhua was so anxious she couldn't sleep—her youngest son was probably really going to have to be given away. The family was under immense pressure: her eldest son had just been admitted to university, and the whole family depended on her temporary job for a living; if she went blind, the factory would immediately lay her off, and their lives would completely collapse.

When news spread that Liu Hongchang had broken off ties with his elder brother and mother for his wife, Wang Cuilan shook her head in private: "He's all-knowing with outsiders, but he tears apart relatives for them. This kind of person is twisted to the core—he doesn't seem to have much ability, but he's got plenty of energy to cause trouble."

……

Just as dawn was breaking, Yang Maixiang arrived at the door carrying a basket of red-skinned eggs and two bags of pastries, excitedly inviting him to go to the park. Liu Hongchang was still half asleep in bed when she abruptly threw off the thin blanket and grabbed his arm: "Get up! The sun's already high in the sky!"

Liu Hongchang rubbed his eyes and muttered, "If I had known you were this 'fierce,' I should have changed my mind yesterday!"

"Change your mind? Too late!" she laughed, hands on her hips. "You promised me sweeter than honey last night!"

He sat up abruptly and sighed deliberately, "Then you'll have to support me for the rest of my life."

"Pah!" she smacked, pretending to hit him. "Shameless!"

Wang Cuilan had already prepared a steaming bowl of cornmeal porridge. She pushed open the door and came in, saying, "Eat it while it's hot, don't go to the garden on an empty stomach!"

Liu Hongchang wiped his mouth: "What bad luck today. The chef I'm supposed to help out at noon has asked me to prepare the food before noon. If you don't mind being bored, why don't you come with me to the second canteen? After I finish cooking, I'll take you for a stroll in the park!"

Yang Maixiang's eyes lit up: "Great! It'll be a perfect opportunity to see just how good your cooking really is!"

Wang Cuilan interjected with a smile, "I'll have someone visit you tomorrow to officially finalize your marriage!"

Liu Hongchang nodded: "Mom, you make the decision. I trust Maixiang."

Yang Maixiang blushed instantly, lowered her head even further, and secretly hooked her fingertips on the hem of his clothes.

Liu Zi was busy preparing ingredients for the luncheon with the helpers. He Wenhui's classmates were having their graduation banquet today, and the venue had been booked at the factory long ago. Hearing that she was hosting, more than thirty classmates came in a flurry, their laughter and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks filling the air.

The fire in the stove went out, and the bill was tallied—fifty-one yuan. He Wenhui's gaze fell directly on Liu Hongchang's face; he had already agreed to this.

Before she could speak, Liu Hongchang reached into his pocket, pulled out a wad of small bills, and stuffed them all into the waitress's hand without counting them: "Here, that's all."

He Wenhui said hurriedly, "I will definitely pay back the rest. You can keep this as collateral!" She took off the old silver bracelet from her wrist and placed it in his palm.

Liu Hongchang gently pushed him away: "Can we talk in private for a moment?"

"Okay, go ahead." She looked up.

He turned and walked to the back, saying, "Come with me."

The two walked through the steaming kitchen and turned into a quiet courtyard.

Liu Hongchang stopped, his tone deep and slow: "I've heard some things about your family. How do you plan to handle this?"

He Wenhui was taken aback: "Master Liu...which one are you referring to?"

Before he finished speaking, Yang Maixiang hurriedly followed. She had just seen him pulling a pretty girl in a blue cotton shirt straight to the backyard, and her heart skipped a beat. She followed him as fast as she could and happened to hear the second half of what he said.

When Liu Hongchang saw her arrive, he smiled frankly and said, "We're not talking about private matters. With you here, it's more open."

He paused, his voice calm yet clear: "Your mother just had surgery, and you're about to go to university in another city; your younger sister is in middle school, your younger brother is in elementary school, and your youngest brother hasn't started school yet, right?"

"Yes..." she said, her voice trembling.

"Even if the surgery goes smoothly, who will take care of things at home during the post-operative period? Who will cook? Who will prepare the medicine? Where will the money come from?" His gaze was intense. "You're hosting this banquet today, and your classmates come empty-handed, eat and drink their fill, and leave—but the rice jar at home is empty, and the medicine bottle is almost empty. Have you really thought about that?"

Yang Maixiang didn't interrupt, but stood quietly to the side, listening to him lay out reality one by one—as long as he had her in his heart, she was willing to believe anything else.

He Wenhui lowered her head, her Adam's apple bobbing, and after a long while, she said in a hoarse voice, "No... I really didn't think about it carefully."

Liu Hongchang took half a step forward, his voice even softer, yet like a stone thrown into a deep pool: "To give another example—if the surgery doesn't succeed and your mother really goes blind, will this family be able to support itself?"